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I suppose he'll still stay at the embassy if they decide to charge him, but at least bringing such charges would suspend the statute of limitations?

No. The law says that one may not be sentenced to a penalty for being guilty of a crime if a certain length of time, which depends on the maximum penalty one could be sentenced to, has passed since the day that one committed said crime. Whether or not they are charged in a court of law is completely inconsequential.

So, assuming nothing else happens, he could say holed up there for about five more years (i think?) and then walk out of there a more or less free man.

Of course you have to wonder why anyone would prioritize saving face by staying essentially imprisoned inside an embassy for over half a decade instead of facing the possibility of spending a year or two at maximum in prison. If anything he would probably be more free inside a prison than that embassy.

__________________Freedom you all want, you want freedom. Why then do you haggle over a more or less? Freedom can only be the whole of freedom; a piece of freedom is not freedom. You despair of the possibility of obtaining the whole of freedom, freedom from everything - yes, you consider it insanity even to wish this? - Well, then leave off chasing after the phantom, and spend your pains on something better than the - unattainable. - Max Stirner

He would still be arrested for skipping bail and failing to appear in court though.

Wouldn't the same rules apply, with a statute of limitation dependent on the sentence for those offences?

__________________The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.Bertrand Russell
Zooterkin is correct Darat
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No he is 'on the run' He didn't attend court, he broke the parole conditions and by not surrendering himself to the Court he is in Contempt and a warrant was issued by the court for his arrest. There is no limit to the warrant, all that can happen is the court withdraws it which I doubt they will do. Ronnie Biggs was on the run for decades and was thrown in jail when he finally surrendered.

How can the statute of limitations apply when the suspect is a fugitive? That's the kind of crap you see in Mexico, I wouldn't think Sweden did that too.

That's a very odd definition of "fully comply". Full compliance would mean going back to Sweden for the investigation.

He isn't a fugitive until he's charged, and (AIUI) under Swedish law, it is required he be interviewed before he is formally charged.

__________________The Australian Family Association's John Morrissey was aghast when he learned Jessica Watson was bidding to become the youngest person to sail round the world alone, unaided and without stopping.

Not sure that anyone really cares, but the Statute of limitations on the minor charges has now run out, though not the more serious one of rape. He's now imprisoned himself in the Embassy longer then he probably would have spend in jail had Sweden found him guilty. Rather ironic that, especially since he's still facing charges of rape and bail jumping...

__________________It must be fun to lead a life completely unburdened by reality. -- JayUtahI am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. -- Charles Babbage (1791-1871)My Apollo Page.

The primary cost is for security guards that protects Assange 24 hours a day, and that are also used to go to restaurants to get take-out food for the guest - that is reported to be picky with what he eats, in part since he does not want food from the same place twice - due to the "risk of being poisoned".

The gist of the story is that JA costs Ecuador a fair amount of money.

My translation:

The primary cost is for security guards that protects Assange 24 hours a day, and that are also used to go to restaurants to get take-out food for the guest - that is reported to be picky with what he eats, in part since he does not want food from the same place twice - due to the "risk of being poisoned".

Haha oh wow. I wonder if Ecuador is still patting itself on the back for its brilliant anti-America coup.

I mean, right about the time everybody else was concluding that America wouldn't mind getting its hands on Assange, but really didn't care enough to actually try, Ecuador decided that keeping Assange away from Swedish authorities was exactly the right way to give America the shaft.

And in a delicious twist of irony, the very nation that has been sheltering Assange since the rape allegations is now coming under fire for... you guessed it, censorship.

Apparently Ecuador's President Correa used millions of dollars of taxpayer funds to have content removed from the internet; these included a documentary critical of his tenure, a video of a former aide to his wife alleging persecution, and a report of a jailbreak in Ecuador.

One has to wonder if Assange is aware of this or not.

__________________

"All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: Freedom, Justice, Honor, Duty, Mercy, Hope."-Winston Churchill"Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is the right thing to do"-Justice Potter Stewart, US Supreme Court Justice 1915-1985.

__________________The Australian Family Association's John Morrissey was aghast when he learned Jessica Watson was bidding to become the youngest person to sail round the world alone, unaided and without stopping.

He has had shoulder pain for 3 months and is begging the government to give him safe passage to a hospital so he can get an MRI done. He's so nice he even offered to let them surround him with 10,000 police officers the whole time. I'll give you one guess what the UK said... It could be cancer, or something serious. I would not be happy about that, no one deserves that, his family doesn't deserve that... but seriously dude? Now you're begging the world for someone to bring you a portable MRI machine? FFS GIVE IT UP you crazy kook! Sad

and

"On Monday British police withdrew a 24-hour guard from the embassy, but said they would still "deploy a number of overt and covert tactics" to arrest Assange if he left."

Don't worry, the guy probably thinks he's been RFID tagged or some other loony crap, he's too petrified to do anything but hide.

__________________I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun. With today’s Internet technology we should be able to tell within 72-hours if a potential gun owner has a record.

Am I correct in thinking this is different from the previous offer by British authorities?

My understanding was that the British had offered to interview Assange on behalf of the Swedish authorities, who would be permitted to offer questioning guidelines and observe from another room. And the Swedish authorities quite rightly rejected that solution as unacceptable.

He's already served a longer sentence and under worse conditions than he would have if convicted. I hope he never leaves that place - it is his self-constructed hell.

My impression is that the Swedish allegations -- not even actual charges, as I understand it -- are not what he's worried about. His concern is that if he leaves the embassy, either the Brits or the Swedes will send him to the U.S. to be tried for espionage, or will put him into a position where Americans could grab him themselves. The Justice department has said they want him.

Am I correct in thinking this is different from the previous offer by British authorities?

My understanding was that the British had offered to interview Assange on behalf of the Swedish authorities, who would be permitted to offer questioning guidelines and observe from another room. And the Swedish authorities quite rightly rejected that solution as unacceptable.

Ecuador asks for renewed request to interview Assange
2016-01-21
In a reply, the Prosecutor-General of Ecuador has rejected, on formal grounds, the Swedish prosecutor’s request to interview Assange in London, as it refers to the request that was sent 29 May 2015.
In the letter, the Prosecutor-General also informs that Ecuador will conduct the interview, and therefore requests a list of the questions the Swedish prosecutor wants the Ecuadorian prosecutor to ask.

- At the moment, we consider if it effects the possibilities to conduct the investigative matters and, if that is case, we shall submit a renewed request, says Director of Public Prosecution Marianne Ny.

My impression is that the Swedish allegations -- not even actual charges, as I understand it -- are not what he's worried about. His concern is that if he leaves the embassy, either the Brits or the Swedes will send him to the U.S. to be tried for espionage, or will put him into a position where Americans could grab him themselves. The Justice department has said they want him.

Apologies for responding to a month-old post...

No, the Justice Department has flat out said they have nothing with which to charge him and have no interest in Assange. It's merely his paranoia that keeps him in that embassy, not any real threat of prosecution by the US Government.

__________________

"All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: Freedom, Justice, Honor, Duty, Mercy, Hope."-Winston Churchill"Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is the right thing to do"-Justice Potter Stewart, US Supreme Court Justice 1915-1985.

No, the Justice Department has flat out said they have nothing with which to charge him and have no interest in Assange. It's merely his paranoia that keeps him in that embassy, not any real threat of prosecution by the US Government.

He has had shoulder pain for 3 months and is begging the government to give him safe passage to a hospital so he can get an MRI done. He's so nice he even offered to let them surround him with 10,000 police officers the whole time. I'll give you one guess what the UK said... It could be cancer, or something serious. I would not be happy about that, no one deserves that, his family doesn't deserve that... but seriously dude? Now you're begging the world for someone to bring you a portable MRI machine? FFS GIVE IT UP you crazy kook! Sad

and

"On Monday British police withdrew a 24-hour guard from the embassy, but said they would still "deploy a number of overt and covert tactics" to arrest Assange if he left."

Don't worry, the guy probably thinks he's been RFID tagged or some other loony crap, he's too petrified to do anything but hide.

A UN panel has ruled in favour of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange after he complained he was "arbitrarily detained", the BBC understands.

Mr Assange claimed asylum in London's Ecuadorean embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over sex assault claims, which he denies.
The Met Police says Mr Assange would be arrested if he does leave the embassy.

He earlier said his passport should be returned and his arrest warrant dropped if the UN panel ruled in his favour.

In 2014, Mr Assange complained to the UN that he was being "arbitrarily detained" as he could not leave the embassy without being arrested.
The application claimed Mr Assange had been "deprived of his liberty in an arbitrary manner for an unacceptable length of time".

The UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is due to announce the findings of its investigation on Friday.

While the BBC understands the panel will find in Mr Assange's favour, Wikileaks tweeted it was waiting for "official confirmation".
Downing Street said the panel's ruling would not be legally binding.

Has he been in there longer than the sentence he might expect if he were found guilty of the charges yet?

__________________The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.Bertrand Russell
Zooterkin is correct Darat
Nerd! Hokulele
Join the JREF Folders ! Team 13232

Has he been in there longer than the sentence he might expect if he were found guilty of the charges yet?

Yes

__________________It must be fun to lead a life completely unburdened by reality. -- JayUtahI am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. -- Charles Babbage (1791-1871)My Apollo Page.

Same rubbish as previously brought up. Oh noes, if they extradite me to Sweden, then the US will get me! And also the whole. "I haven't been charged with anything" totally ignoring that Sweden can't charge him without his return for questioning.

__________________It must be fun to lead a life completely unburdened by reality. -- JayUtahI am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. -- Charles Babbage (1791-1871)My Apollo Page.